Contract of Three
by Hazel Roses
Summary: Prince Natsu and the resistance Fairy Tail storm King Zeref's castle to end years of tyranny. As his comrades focus on his brother, Natsu searches for the evil power known to destroy hundreds in an instant. Gothic orchestra music leads him to her. Her graceful dance, flowing sunkissed hair, and unending power leaves him distorted. She seems sad, broken, and she shows him why.


**I said I wasn't writing more Nalu. Well, I lied. I got this idea and Nalu just fit for it! Thank you Kaycha so much for helping me bounce ideas and Rosechi (sorry I had to say thank you), thegemicookie, and BMarvels (all from Tumblr) for helping me decipher musical instruments! I'm so grateful for you guys!**

**The song that gave me inspiration was Nostalgia by Nox Arcana, a gothic orchestra is what created this! I highly recommend listening to it first. Please enjoy and let me know what you think!**

**WARNING: Character death and sad ending so read at your own risk! Angst AF!**

* * *

Friday Eve in blustery December, a perfect end to an arduous year. Winter slammed the land with a vicious winter storm, angry snow plummeting in waves to Earth's near-dead surface. The wind howled, whipping dried trees from their brittle roots. No creature, human or animal, stirred. As the renegade group crept through the town of Magnolia, not one candle burned in the houses they passed. The world was asleep or in hiding as Jack Frost did his worst. The storm and lack of light provided the cover they needed to reach Zeref's castle undetected. Despite the sounds of the blizzard covering their tracks, they still used their stealth skills to travel up to the anterior bridge.

"Ice-Make, Arrows!"

Frozen arrows shot toward the unsuspecting guards surrounding the castle wall's edge, their screams muted by the snow.

Three. Four. Seven. Twelve gasps of a final breath. Natsu rocketed forward, using explosive flames from his hands as a booster to catapult him across the drawbridge preventing newcomers from entering. Wendy used the surrounding gusts to magnify her own and blew guards on top of the wall into the frigid moat. The half-frozen water spelled certain death by one of three ways decided by fate: hypothermia from the water's icy temperature, monsters unfazed by the cold, thick waters, or the fall itself. They were lucky; the fall killed them first. Natsu landed nimbly on the vertical draw bridge with his comrades following close behind.

"We take 'em all out," Gajeel's voice echoed in Natsu's head with the help of Warren's telepathic magic. "Rogue says no children are in the castle but some civilians are. Knock 'em out and Take Zeref alive!"

A full assault from all sides was their only option to prevent Zeref from escaping. Natsu raised a fist, fire magic sizzling underneath eager fingers. King Zeref, monarch and dictator, the Bringer of Death, the Father of Lies, Hatred, and Deceit. Natsu Dragneel's brother. After a gang of thugs killed his secret lover, Mavis, Zeref lost his humanity. Mavis Vermillion was the light that illuminated his brother's smile. She saw him not just as heir to the throne; she loved him with her entire soul. For outsiders who witnessed them together to see it showed the depths of their love. Despite Mavis's humble beginnings as a poor fish merchant's daughter, she lived her life full of kindness for those less fortunate… even for those with all the fortunes in the world.

When Zeref insisted he planned to marry a poor woman, the advisors rejected the notion. Although their parents wished to grant Zeref's request, it was above the power of the throne to decide. Only the Assemblage, a neutral council above the monarch who creates legislature and approved kingdom motions, had such power. They declined stating that the marriage to Princess Irene Belserion of Dragnof would give Magnolia more military power and increase the amount of trade along their neighboring rivers. Zeref refused to accept that answer. He and Mavis planned to elope, leave the country and start new lives an ocean away. With their details secret, little bags packed, and hearts excited for the future, the lovers planned their escape onto the ship leaving port with the next morning's sunrise. They promised to meet at a nearby breakfast pub only Mavis never showed. Zeref waited, willing the ship not to leave, but he never saw life in her sweet emerald eyes again. When he found her gutted to death in a nearby alley, her sun-colored locks stained with blood, pupils wide-open locked in fear, Zeref died with her and a demon took his place.

His brother became cold, hateful, and withdrawn. So much that his parents hesitated to give him the throne when father died. Consumption drained their father's life, leaving him bedridden two years into the disease's appearance. After Zeref had his lover's killers found, hanged until almost dead, drawn, quartered, then left their heads nailed to the castle's outer wall until the King demanded their removal, the King and advisors decided to give Natsu the kingdom instead. Their father died before officially changing his successor and Zeref's first order as king was to put his mother in a nunnery a country over and label Natsu a traitor for challenging his cruel ways. He banished him from court five years ago and became the barbarian known far and wide. Mothers told their children stories of how King Zeref would steal their souls when they didn't behave. Whispers of his name made people skitter away, fearful the King would come for their head and guts next. He invaded neighboring lands, allowed his guard to have their way with their women and children before seizing everything they owned, and declared himself Emperor of their once ally Spriggan.

Natsu slowly built a resistance with the help of Fairy Tail. They were a group of outcasts, labeled traitors, and revolutionists all with magic abilities banding together to take down Zeref. His absence would leave the crown to Natsu, but he never sought that kind of power. He'd always been a carefree, fiery spirit always looking for the next great adventure but first, Natsu had to stop his brother's reign. As he launched himself into the air, fire raging around his fist seconds before it connected with the giant castle doors, Natsu realized tonight was the night they'd save hundreds of innocent lives and bring carefree living to all of Magnolia.

Fairy Tail rushed the castle, causing mass chaos to every unsuspecting soul inside. Natsu surged forward with his comrades hot on his heels until they branched off, knocking out guards before they could sound the alarm. Natsu tried not to glance at the shambles the main hall had fallen into. Their family pictures all torn down and thrown forgotten into a corner to collect dust. Although the main goal was to restrain Zeref, Natsu had another task: find and destroy Zeref's secret weapon. Rumor spoke of a powerful being underneath his wing. One who could destroy thousands with a simple wave of its hand. No one had seen it and lived but the whispers said this creature could rip you to pieces without lifting a finger. Its magic rivaled the strongest users to ever exist since the first whispers of magic began. Natsu wasn't afraid. He had more to lose by letting Zeref continue his reign of horror.

Down the winding cold corridor he ran, the twisting halls no longer familiar yet something within him guided his steps. He shifted coral locks out of his face with his free hand, the other serving as a torch to light his path. His keen hearing detected the most out of place and unnerving sound: nothing. No scurry of people running, no closing doors softly hoping the flimsy barrier my shield them until the threat passed. Natsu paused, straining his ears, his body rigid like a spring ready to defend himself when the moment came. The Fire Mage's body went rigid when a soft sound reached his ears.

The tinkling of bells.

Even though the castle was under attack, someone played music, oblivious to the danger. One slinking step, then two until Natsu jogged toward the inattentive soul. The melody's eerie presence surrounded him, the temperature dropping until white puffs of air left his lips with each breath. The winding hallways ended, leaving a single direction with no other entry or exits except the one he stood in. Did the Zeref's demon live down there? Natsu sensed nothing sinister, but no one knew what it looked like. The air shifted and caressed his arms like someone waking their lover desiring their intimate embrace. The longer Natsu stood rooted in his spot, the warmer his body grew until his feet moved forward of their own accord. He was like a puppet on a string following the gentle music; the organ teasing his heartstrings.

_An organ and bells?! How many people are down here?!_

The song grew louder, more intense, more _vivid_. He'd never experienced anything like it. The electricity dancing over his skin, his tongue swiping over dry lips, the caress intensifying the further he traveled into the abyss. Natsu was running now, feet pounding the pavement even though he couldn't see far in front of him. He had to reach the source, his entire being craved to unveil what made such beautiful sounds. Deeper, darker, warmer. The atmosphere chanted it in silence, a mantra written for those brave enough to venture this far.

A light came into view at the end of the tunnel, artic blue and glowing. Natsu's sprinted toward it and skidded to a halt. He stood in a beautiful threshold leading into a lavish ballroom. This differed from the other three within the castle whose design held many vibrant versions of pinks, reds, and orange. Inky black curtains covered the arch-top windows. Eight enormous chandeliers with fifteen amethyst candles burning crimson cast the room in a supernatural glow. Intricate black designs dripped down the ivory walls as if someone melted them with flames. Natsu's eyes darted around the expansive room across the empty patterned floor to the colossal French doors showing a window to winter's outside rage. Natsu stepped inside, fists alight and ready to attack. The music still played, making it difficult for him to concentrate. He didn't see any instruments or people anywhere.

Running to the center of the room, Natsu spun and yelled, "Come out and face me whatever you are!"

Nothing but the chiming of bells, the rich pipe organs reverberating off the walls now joined by a chanting choir echoing in his ears, his chest, his thoughts. It was everywhere, nowhere, too emotional, and numbing balled up into a whirlwind of sensory overload. Was this the creature's magical ability, to dull the listener's senses? Natsu's vision swam as he remembered to breathe. He tried to focus, taking a shaky step forward.

"Where are you?!"

"I'm right here, Natsu…"

A sultry yet sweet woman's voice surrounded him, snapping him out of his daze. The moment he laid eyes on her he fell back under her spell. By the entryway she danced, arms lifted, eyes closed, simper crossing her soft features. Golden tresses shifted behind her like a curtain too bright for the gloom of their space. She stood on her toes, leaping to her right foot and raising her left into a standing split. The slits lining the sides of her thigh-length black dress slid open, allowing him to drink in the matching silk panties leaving nothing to the imagination. Natsu watched on, unable to protest, unable to look away. She spun in three circles while moving closer to him until she halted inches away. She reached for him, delicate fingers caressing the side of his face before she retreated and performed a back-walk-over into a split. The melody continued to play as her hands skimmed over the curve of her ample breasts almost visible from the deep V cut delving to her belly button.

Beautiful wasn't a strong enough word to describe her.

"Who are you?!" Natsu demanded when he got his bearings. "And why aren't you wearing more clothes?! I can see your underwear!"

She laughed, a soft chuckle leaving her as she moved into a handstand while maintaining her split. "I bet you like them and you already know who I am."

"Are you Zeref's demon?!" he demanded, ignoring the truth in her first comment.

She stood, curtsied, shifted into a pirouette, and left Natsu unsure of how she maintained her balance with such an unhurried turn on one foot. One turn, two, three. Natsu blinked, and she was an inch from his face, bright cocoa lights gleaming in the dim lighting. The Dragon Slayer scrambled away.

"Back up, would you?!"

"I'm Lucy," she purred. "In your heart, you know who I am though. Just like I knew you the second I sensed your magic."

"I ain't met you before!" he barked. "Now answer me!"

The music faded away leaving them in heavy silence. Lucy's gaze raked over him as she bit her lip. "What if I am? Have you come to defeat me?"

"Hell yeah!" Natsu jumped to his feet, filled his mouth with fire magic, and blew. "Fire Dragon's Roar!"

Monstrous flames erupted from his lips and skyrocketed toward his opponent. She didn't move nor did her smile ever fade. Natsu raced after his attack, fists raised for the next but he skidded to a halt when his flames vanished. Not extinguished, _ceased to exist_ like a wink in time swallowed them whole. He blinked in confusion but shook it off for another attack.

"Fire Dragon-!"

Lucy teleported in front of him and grasped his chin. Natsu ripped away and aimed a powerful kick at her head, his fire engulfing his lower leg. The fire blazed as the wind from his movement fueled it…

Only to disappear again.

She veered out of his way seconds before he tried to grab her, his fingers slipping through her hair.

_One…_

An almost undetectable flash of blue matching the light that led him to her echoed in her eyes. It faded so fast he wasn't sure if it happened. The Dragon Slayer threw another punch that connected with the hard surface of a shield. It repelled him hard into the closest wall almost twenty feet away. His back slammed into it and he crumpled to the ground. Lucy watched him with hungry eyes. Did she want to eat him, kill him, or have sex with him? Mischief danced in her cocoa gaze, both heat and frost swirling in tandem.

_"I love you, Lucy, you know, that right?"_

Natsu jumped to his feet and whirled around at the sound of his voice echoing through the hall. "How are you doing that?!"

"Doing what, Natsu?" Lucy asked while linking her fingers in front of her. She smiled, her teeth too white and too perfect for a monster. "You don't think you would grow to love me?"

"I don't know you!" he shouted again and readying himself for another attack. "You won't get the best of me!"

_"Lucy, let's go to the park!"_

_"Why are you wearing that, Luce?!"_

_"What do you mean you're pregnant?! I did that?! I'm gonna be a dad?!"_

His voice, his inflections of happiness, content, and excitement. Him, a father? Natsu dreamed of one day having a family with a few tikes running around. First, he had to help fix the world to give them and his people, comrades, and allies somewhere safe to grow. Still, how was she using his voice and why did he keep saying her name like they were familiar?

"You got some kinda mind magic?!" he demanded.

Natsu didn't wait for her to answer. He rushed her again. "Fire Dragon Crushing Fang!"

His ablaze hand swiped at his elusive opponent and yet again his flames evaporated. He'd have to rely on hand-to-hand until he could figure out why this woman could erase his flames. Powerful fists and precise kicks struck air as Lucy avoided him fluidly.

"Stay by my side, 'kay Luce?"

"Spit it out! How are you using my voice and saying all that stuff?!"

Natsu's fist connected with her shield again and he catapulted away, skidding across the floor. He backflipped onto one hand and landed on his feet as he slid to a shaky stop. Lucy smiled at him but her movements stopped. Natsu studied her realizing she seemed frozen. He still couldn't sense her magic; all he felt was an empty, swallowing chasm deep enough to inhale the universe into its jaws.

"I'm not using your voice. These are glimpses of your future. _Our future_."

Natsu jolted when warm fingers grasped his face and she stood close enough for him to see the clear planes of her porcelain skin. He met those deep amber pools once more. He saw anguish and pain beneath their confident glow. Natsu swung a futile punch again. This time Lucy disappeared into a cloud of smoke.

"We could have been so happy together, you know Natsu."

"How would you know if you're working for Zeref?! We can't be happy while you're hurting people!"

He turned on his heels searching for his departed adversary. She flitted back while crossing her arms behind her. Natsu stared while straightening his stance. He cocked his head to the side.

"I don't know what my brother promised you, but you deserve better than being some psycho's weapon!"

Her self-assured facade evaporated from her features and he swore tears pooled in her eyes. "Oh, Natsu…"

His comment distracted her enough to close the distance. Natsu hooked an arm around her neck, her back pressing against his chest. He used his free hand to shift her long hair out of his face. Her scent, so crisp like the spring's fresh breeze through budded flowers. The rebel inhaled, confused on why it sent a calming wave over him.

_Two…_

Lucy's heat departed as she used her magic to escape his grasp and hide.

"Please stop," her voice begged, reverberating off the otherwise silent walls. "I can't bear to lose you."

Natsu searched for a glimpse of her. "I ain't going anywhere, but I will stop you, Lucy!"

"I wish you could…"

"I will!" he declared. "This time I'll hit you with so much fire you won't be able to put it out!"

Hands rested on his shoulders and Natsu looked up to Lucy balancing upside down. Balancing wasn't the right terminology; she _floated_ above him and rested her delicate but deadly palms on his traps. Their eyes met again. Red puffiness proved she shed tears, but why? It didn't seem like Lucy wanted to fight. She had yet to counter-attack or land serious injuries.

"Please just leave," she pleaded.

"Lucy, you didn't kill all those people like the rumors said, did you?"

Natsu didn't move an inch. His body remained rigid as if to keep her from falling. Natsu's hands stayed at his sides and he craned his neck back waiting for her response.

"I'm contracted to King Zeref." Lucy bit her lip. "I don't want to kill anyone but the contract forces me to."

Natsu grinned at her. "I knew it the second we met you weren't bad. I'll get you out of that contract!"

"It's not so simple!"

"Yeah, it is!" Natsu stepped back causing Lucy's feet to fall and land with grace on the floor with her hands never leaving his shoulders. The static appearance of her body started, but Natsu was too fast. He placed a hand on top of her head halting her movements, digits sifting through silky blonde strands for the third time. It seemed almost familiar to touch her like this.

_Three..._

_"No!"_

Lucy's eyes widened in horror and she fizzled away. By the balcony exit, a harpsichord and a set of tolling bells loomed lonely with no one to play them, but no one had to. They began playing of their own accord the same song that lured him here. He realized the organ he'd heard was its darker cousin, the harpsichord. Natsu's rapid heartbeat lulled back to normal, his body relaxing from his fighting stance. In his mind, the dragon slayer knew this was all Lucy's doing but he couldn't do anything to stop it. He fought tooth and nail in his head trying to stop himself from bowing and holding out a hand. The blonde reappeared wearing a form-fitting ballroom gown the same obsidian material as her previous revealing one. This one had just one slit on the right side, exposing the creamy flesh of her hip. The tie-around top still allowed a little of her breasts to show their voluptuous curves, her light tresses tied into a braid hanging loosely over her shoulder. Matching Queen of the Night tulips wove into a crown on top of her head. Her melancholy expression changed to longing as she grasped his open hand. The moment Natsu's fingers closed around it, the room changed from the dark ballroom to a sunny summer's day. The heat caressed his skin, and he sighed in content, enjoying his spot underneath a large oak tree. He closed his eyes intending to take a short nap. Rarely did he get time to himself.

"King Natsu! King Natsu where are you?!"

He cracked open an eye. "Lucy, I don't want to sign any more papers, dammit!"

"You have to! You're the king, you idiot!"

He gave his wife a lopsided grin. "Yeah, maybe so, but I'm sick of it!"

Lucy beamed and plopped down in the soft grass beside him. She raised an eyebrow, crossing her legs, and tilting her head with a fond expression crossing her features. "I told you being King wouldn't be easy!"

The king shifted his head into her lap. "Yeah, I know that! Paperwork still sucks though." Natsu threw an arm across her thighs. "We took down Zeref, but I really miss our friends."

Lucy remained silent as heaviness fluctuated in the air. Nimble fingers shifted through his fuchsia locks and a sigh escaped Natsu's lips as he rested his weight on her. They lost many friends during the Resistance. Makarov, better known as Gramps to those he guided, Fairy Tail's leader. His good friends Gray and Juvia lost their lives protecting one another. And Wendy... her sweet laughter still echoed in his ears, warm and full of life. Her fifteenth birthday was the day after the Resistance ended and they took Zeref into custody. Carla, her animalistic partner, handled her death poorly, and no one had seen her in two years.

Natsu realized how surreal his life seemed like looking at himself through the abstract colors of a kaleidoscope. How did he end up so lucky? He swayed Lucy against Zeref and her power was the turning point they needed to bring his tyrant brother to his knees. Now any time he glanced at her, the intense love radiating through him made him grateful he found her in that cold ballroom. Natsu opened his eyes and gazed up at the shimmering purple sky, admiring the swirling black clouds. Something in his gut prickled at the view, but he pushed it aside. Nothing could replace the tranquility seeping into his bones.

"Let's go visit the ocean tomorrow," Lucy suggested. "It's been a while since we've gone."

Natsu clambered to his feet as Queen Lucy did the same. "Sounds like a great idea! Let's go early so it's not so hot!"

"How is a fire mage worried about the heat?!" she teased while smoothing out the wrinkles in her ivory gown.

Natsu wrapped his arms around her slender waist. "It's not for me. You turn into a lobster if you're in the heat more than thirty minutes."

Her cheeks turned pink, and she smacked his arm. "Oh, can it! I can't help that I have skin that burns easy!"

"But you're the Transcendent Witch," Natsu argued. "You can destroy an entire country if you wanted but you can't figure out how to stop getting' sunburnt?!"

"I may be the Transcendent Witch, but I still gotta figure out what spell will fix it! That takes a lot of studying grimoires, potions, and spells!" Natsu released her and they walked hand-in-hand back to their castle. "Plus, I'd rather spend it with you and soon our daughter."

Natsu grinned at her protruding belly. Perks to marrying a witch included knowing the sex of their baby the moment the heartbeat started. Lucy was about sixteen weeks into her pregnancy and her powers waned. Once a Transcendent Witch became with child, the fetus drained some of each of the ten witch powers she possessed; however, it did not guarantee the child would become the next Transcendent Witch. Lucy's power would drain until she kept only the witch elements she was born with, cosmic, green, and eclectic.

Green witches used the earth as their guide. These witches used natural items from the forest and different ground elements into their own magical items. The Eclectics were considered the jack-of-all-trades. They combined spells and witchcraft from different cultures around the world to create their own brand of magic. The Cosmic witches drew their magic from the planets, stars, and Zodiac symbols. Cosmic was Lucy's main witch type element. Most witches remained in hiding, but after Natsu ordered severe punishment for killing them, some became part of modern society. They assisted in the medical realm, welding, and King's military aide. Lucy also created a school for new witches to learn their craft.

"Yeah, I can't wait for her to get here!" Natsu exclaimed while throwing a fist into the air. "I'm gonna teach her how to fight!"

As they walked across the rolling green pasture, the grass ahead filtered in the soft breeze… but it turned black as if charred by a raging fire. Natsu paused. "What the heck is happening, Lucy?"

He glanced over at his wife as she pulled away and covered her face. Her shoulders shook, soft sobs escaping her lips. Lucy refused to remove them when Natsu tried to pull them down.

"What's going on?! Why are you crying?"

"This could have been our future, Natsu!" she cried. "Zeref took everything from us!"

"What are you talking about, Luce?!" Natsu shouted back, reaching to grip her shoulders.

"Zeref… I made a contract with him in exchange for access to his grimoires on necromancy. It's a forbidden practice of the Green Witches our kind have banned for centuries but I needed it to bring my mom back. Witch Hunters killed her while I was away from home with my aunt."

Lucy wiped her face as the trees also started to wither. "They developed weapons with the help of traitor witches to take down my whole village hoping to kill the Transcendent Witch before her full gift emerged. I was five…"

Natsu listened, confusion building in his chest. What contract? Where was her mother if she brought her back from the dead? Dread washed over him. Their surroundings continued to melt like a lit candle sacrificing its wax to flee the unrelenting heat.

"My power manifested when I was twelve and I searched for ten years for a way to bring her back."

A watery smile crossed her lips. "There's a price for everything, Natsu. _Everything_. I heard rumors of Zeref and sought him out but for his help, his contract makes me serve him and give up the most important thing I possessed; not my magic, my _love_. It was the reason I went searching for a way to bring back Mom. The reason I never gave up. When Zeref told me the price…"

The queen lowered her head in shame. "I gave it willingly. I thought I could still find happiness without it but I was wrong. I knew I made a mistake when my mother went insane and gauged her own eyes out and I killed my sister, Cana. They weren't the only ones. All my loved ones are dead or should be because of me."

"Zeref is just a normal wizard! How can he do all this?!"

"He's not... He's the Omnipotent Warlock," she whispered. "A monster only talked about in myths. Our ancestors weren't sure if he ever existed but believed a previous Transcendent Witch and the leaders of the witch covens sealed him a thousand years ago. He can travel through time and uses clairvoyance to see into someone's future. The death of his lover woke the Warlock inside him. He's afraid of getting sealed again. He knows I have the power to for good…"

Lucy wrapped her arms around Natsu's shoulders and tilted her chin upwards. Natsu didn't hesitate to capture her lips. He felt her desperation and fervor in that kiss. He wanted to take away her hurt, her pain, and most of all, Natsu's anger mounted at what Zeref put her and every other innocent person through. Natsu held her tight as their tongues explored the crevices of each other's mouths. Her taste was second nature to him. As sweet as honey, as soft as silk. Every cliché ever imagined realized into an amazing fragment of his lost future. Lucy pulled away and rested her cheek against his neck.

"If a person I love brushes my hair three times, it activates the curse of the contract," Lucy continued, her regal gown reverting to the charcoal ball gown she wore before their glimpse into a nonexistent future. "It prevents me from telling them about it or trying to change the course of the future until after the third touch when death or a fate worse is inevitable. When there's love in that simple touch, the love I want _so_ bad, Zeref's contract rips it away from me."

"My Cosmic abilities allowed me to show you what could have been. I owed you that much."

Natsu's brain spun from the massive amount of information Lucy spilled. This curse may ruin his life or take it because of his future wife? His eyebrows furrowed with determination. Natsu didn't believe in quitting. If he died, he'd find her again in the afterlife. The love searing through him in the vision followed him back to the ballroom hotter than any flame he possessed.

"How does it happen?" Natsu asked. "We can figure a way around it! Look, I'm not dead yet and I touched your hair three times already!"

Lucy shook her head. "I never know what or when it will happen. It's different for each person but always it's because of my hair, a trait people always love about me. If I could stop it, I would Natsu! I love you more than anything!"

They clung together, memorizing each other's warmth.

"The number three, huh?" Natsu yanked her into a searing kiss once more and pulled back. "I already did the three touches to your hair, but what about three kisses? One."

Lucy leaned in and pressed her lips to his. "Two."

"Three."

Their final kiss ignited his entire body hotter than his magic ever could and when he pulled back, Natsu gave her his fanged grin.

"Come on, Luce! Let's find Zeref and kick his…"

His breath caught in his throat, lungs demanding oxygen through an airway no longer functioning. Natsu collapsed to the floor with his hands gripping his throat. Lucy rushed to his side, pleading with whatever god listening to spare him. Blood poured from his mouth, eyes, nose, and ears. Lucy tried using her magic to staunch the bleeding and make his body breathe, but something blocked her powers.

_The contract!_

"No, no, no!" she chanted as Natsu toppled forward into a river of crimson.

His life seeped from him in less than three minutes, eyes fading until they remained unblinking and lackluster. The last breath that his lungs held for too long released and they never filled again. Lucy wailed as her heart ripped to shreds. She threw herself on top of his lifeless body and wept. Wept so brokenly she never thought she'd rise again.

In the King's chambers, Zeref stood at his large window studying the vicious storm. The window shook from the harsh winds rattling in its frame. He ignored the panicked screams and crashing sounds outside his room. A sinister grin reached his lip when he sensed Natsu's life fade and Lucy's anguish. He reduced his two greatest threats to ash.

"Thank you for breaking her, Natsu."


End file.
